The Vancouver Canucks made two significant trades on Monday as they moved Nils Höglander while acquiring Brendan Gallagher. Höglander was sent to the Nashville Predators for a 2029 third-round pick, while Gallagher was acquired from the Montréal Canadiens for future considerations. While getting back an asset for Höglander is significant in the grand scheme of a rebuild, acquiring Gallagher offers a glimpse into the culture Ryan Johnson hopes to build heading into next season. 

Gallagher is a leader on and off the ice. Even at 34 years old, it is hard to find someone in the NHL who works harder than him. After the trade, Johnson spoke to the media and detailed why bringing in a player like Gallagher was so important. 

"In general, for me it's enticing anytime somebody really wants to be in your organization," said Johnson. "It's hard not to love the idea of it. Then, when you look at someone like Brendan, with his experience. The passion that he plays the game with. Where we are at as a group, I feel Brendan feels like he's got a lot of hockey left in him, and a lot to prove off of maybe a little bit of a frustrating year for him. I think he's going to come in here kicking and screaming, going to be great. You hear me talk a lot about professionalism and quality of teammate. I mean, is there anybody that checks the box more than this guy? So, my discussion with him this morning, he is ecstatic. We are over the moon to have him. He's talking about just doing anything he can to help where we are at and help us grow, and I think that the common word he kept on using was build. That's what we're doing here, is trying to try to build something. An environment that is strong and that is sustainable, and he's going to be a massive piece of that."

High character and hard-to-play-against players are clearly high on Johnson's list. Whether it was the Gallagher acquisition or the way Vancouver approached the draft, it appears that the organization's philosophy is changing compared to the old regime. As Johnson explained, they want players who will compete hard regardless of the situation.

"We know those types don't grow on trees. I'm looking at it all. Different options and ways to, like I said, I love when teams have lines that are competing. That challenge each other. I love teams that your specialty teams challenge each other. Where your PK holds your PP accountable when they're doing the work to and taking pride in their side of it. It always makes the PP better when the PK says, Hey, these guys are doing their job, we have to do our job' That's something I'm looking to define, not just short-term but the long-term of this group."

The last few years have been rough for the Canucks' culture. Whether it's a rift that divides the room, players requesting trades, or teammates not standing up for each other on the ice, issues keep popping up that make Vancouver feel like a bunch of individuals rather than a cohesive team. Johnson is not only focused on fixing the culture issue in the organization but also ensuring that everyone is on the same page, regardless of their role with the team. 

"Successful hockey teams, there is truly a definition of what a player knows. That when he walks through the doors every day, what he brings to the team, to the dressing room, what success for him and for the team looks exactly like when players and the communication from coaches from management is this is your job, and you do it well, you're going to have success. We will have success. It's when that gets clouded, it's hard to walk into a facility every day and know what is expected of you. So, when you can outline those roles and responsibilities through a lineup and into a dressing room, it takes a lot less guessing and hoping of what is expected from a coaching staff. And when you can define that for players, very easy line to line to understand what they need to bring every night, and there's not confusion on that. Guys that take an extreme amounts of pride in the role that is asked of them. You're in pretty good hands when everybody has an understanding of what that looks like. And that's something that's very important to me. As opposed to just putting a bunch of hockey players on the ice and hoping they figure it out and hoping that you've got some success."

Acquiring a player like Gallagher is a good first step by Johnson toward addressing the Canucks' culture issues. Not only is he going to work hard on and off the ice, but he is also a great role model for the team's younger players. If Johnson can continue to add more high-character players like Gallagher, it will go a long way toward fixing some of the locker room problems that have lingered over the past few seasons. 

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